


The Best Presents

by madeof_it



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 09:08:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1852447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeof_it/pseuds/madeof_it
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus and Hermione share Christmas dinner with their closest friends, and gifts are exchanged.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Presents

"Are you sure we have to do this?" she asked, as she fed her arms through the sleeves of the heavy winter robe he held out for her.

He set her long curly hair free from the collar and laid it across her shoulders before pressing a soft kiss to the side of her neck.

"Yes," he replied, his voice soft. "Draco is my godson, and he's invited us for Christmas Eve dinner, and we spoke about this weeks ago and you agreed. It wouldn't do to change our minds now. Where is this Gryffindor bravery you're so known for?"

A sigh voiced her hesitant agreement, and she nodded with furrowed brows before leading him out of their quarters in Hogwarts' dungeon, the chilly air indicative of the cold that awaited them outside the castle walls.

Severus Snape walked briskly to the front gates, tugging Hermione Granger-Snape along behind him like a recalcitrant child. At any other time, he might have thought the jutting pout of her lower lip was endearing, but he was too preoccupied with his own inner musings of how the night might end. Though there hadn't been any enmity between his new wife and his godson for quite some time, he was aware of the horrific happenings of her last visit to Malfoy Manner, and he worried that it might be too much and too soon for her.

Finally, they reached the Apparition point, and he pulled her into the warmth of his body in preparation for their Side-Along. Before the twist of his feet that would send them spinning to what would no doubt be an eventful night, he whispered something softly in her ear.

"I love you, Mrs. Snape."

And before she could even register the words as anything beyond a slight tickle of breath on her skin, the pair disappeared from Hogwarts.

xoxoxoxo

Even with years of Apparating behind her, Hermione still wasn't used to the sensation of being whisked through space. Severus, of course, landed with all the grace he normally showed and steadied her when she threatened to tip over.

The large ivory mansion rose up in front of them, and Hermione gaped in awe of the huge building. Despite the cold of winter, the lawn was perfectly manicured with topiaries in the shape of magical creatures peppering its wide expanse. Little flowers framed the walkway from the Apparition point to the large wooden front door, and her amazement showed as she gazed all around her.

Severus chuckled. "It can be a lot to take in at once, I know. But it's certainly beautiful, I'll give the Malfoys that."

He banged the bronze door-knocker (in the shape of a dragon, no doubt Draco's vanity playing into his decorating), and they waited to be let in. A diminutive house elf welcomed them, leading them into the marble-floored foyer, and then there was a clambering of footsteps approaching them.

Draco Malfoy slid into the room with a wide grin on his face, followed by one Harry Potter a few paces behind. Both were breathing heavily with tousled hair and smiles that spread from cheek to cheek.

"You've made it!" Harry bellowed, grabbing Hermione around the waist and twirling with her all the way into the extravagant living room. Draco had pulled a stiff Severus into an embrace with a gleeful cry of "Uncle!" to which the stoic Potions Master flinched before letting out a short bark of laughter.

The entire manor, formerly known for its quiet elegance and sophistication, was flooded with lights of all colors, and decorated trees and boughs of holly. There were red ribbons, and gold garlands, and even shiny blue baubles that floated through the air. Severus had to duck to avoid being hit by them as Draco led them to where Harry and Hermione were already seated on a plush sofa.

The Boy Who Lived was babbling on to his best friend about all the decorating he'd done so far, and everything he'd helped with. He was just telling Hermione about the dishes he'd assisted Molly Weasley in preparing when Hermione, chuckling, held up her hands to make him stop talking.

"Harry! I can't take it all in, we've only just arrived! Slow down, I can hardly understand what you're saying!"

Her earlier concerns seemed to be forgotten as the joyful presence of Harry soothed her, without her even realizing. Severus had thought this would happen, and he settled into an armchair near the roaring fire to listen to their exchange. A crystal tumbler of his favourite brandy was pressed into his hand, and Draco motioned towards the two Gryffindors with his own glass.

"They'll chatter on all night if we let them."

With a snort, Severus voiced his own agreement.

The young blonde continued, saying, "Mum and Father will be joining us shortly. They're finishing up with their outfits. You know how picky they can be. The others should be arriving any minute -- well, with the exception of Molly, who has been slaving away in our kitchen with the house elves all afternoon. It's totally bizarre. Harry helped a bit, and I offered, but we were only allowed in the room for a few minutes before she shooed us away. How could anyone WANT to do all that cooking all on their own?"

Before Severus could even make up some kind of reasoning for the Weasley matriarch's kitchen possessiveness, the doorbell chimed again. With the noise, both Draco and Harry bolted from the room, the two of them like energetic puppies eager to greet each of their incoming guests.

Hermione's face was already a light pink from her own glass of wine, and she rose from her seat on the sofa and padded across the ornately-detailed carpet to settle herself into her husband's lap. She'd only just flung her arms about his neck when the room filled again with the returning hosts and their new guests.

There were Draco and Harry again, and they were accompanied by the various other pairings their friends had made over the years: there was Remus and Tonks, and Neville and Luna, and Ginny and Blaise, followed by the rest of the Weasley men with their significant others. Arthur was the only one without his arm tucked around someone else (but that was just because Molly had been supervising the house elves' progress in the Malfoys' kitchen since practically dawn).

"Oi!" called one of the red-heads that had flooded in, "get a room, you two!"

Everyone erupted with good-natured laughter when Severus retorted with, "We HAD, until you lot came traipsing in."

Just then, the owners of the manor entered the room, Lucius and Narcissa poised and sleek with their platinum locks and elegant dress-robes. It was still surprising to everyone that they'd loosened up so much since the end of the war, but with Voldemort no longer threatening his family, Lucius Malfoy had finally acquiesced to the thought that maybe his own long-held beliefs on blood purity and superiority were incorrect. It helped that his sole heir was in an exclusive and very committed relationship with the hero of the Wizarding World (one who was only a half-blood himself), not to mention that Muggleborns like the new Mrs. Snape had spent their entire lives disproving the theories that purity of blood was directly correlative to magical power and intelligence.

Since revising his own beliefs, the elder Malfoy had been one of the biggest campaigners for equal rights and equal treatment of Wizards and Witches everywhere, no matter their families' blood status.

And so, even if the Malfoys were still one of the most aristocrat families (much like royalty in the wizarding world), their new acquaintances with the various Order members (through Harry Potter) had encouraged them to loosen up a bit.

Kisses, hugs, and handshakes were exchanged before a house elf herded the crowd into the formal dining room with the announcement that dinner was ready.

Lucius took his seat at one end of the long mahogany table, and Draco sat himself at the other. The others fell into place around them, with Hermione seated next to Severus, who was at Lucius' left. Narcissa was across from them, with an empty seat saved for Molly once she appeared from the kitchen.

Food started appearing on their plates, and everyone was eager to dig into the delicious morsels laid bare in front of them (Ron was practically drooling). Murmurs of conversations were heard a midst the scraping of silverwear and clinking of glasses. After a time (and a few extra servings loaded onto each plate), the tinkling sound of silver tapping on glass quieted everyone as Draco rose to address the room.

"Family, friends, words escape me as I try to express my joy at having you all here. Your presence in our lives," he gestured to himself and then to Harry, "is a constant reminder of all that is good in the world, and I feel like Christmas is the best time of year for sharing the gifts you've given us just by existing."

Someone called out, "Get on with it, Malfoy, we want dessert!" and another chorus of laughter rang around the room.

Draco was chuckling himself before he continued.

"I know we'd made the rule of No Presents this year, but Harry and I decided against it, especially in the wake of all of your support this past year." A mutter of dissent swept around the table before Harry stood and quieted them with his own raised palms.

Stepping around to link hands with his love, Harry started.

"No, none of that! You remember how awful it all was when our relationship was outed by that cow Skeeter. There was an uproar, and we both received Howlers and nasty letters sealed with hexes, and Draco lost his job at Gringotts because the goblins were concerned people would pull their money from their accounts. I didn't lose my job in the Aurory (imagine the backlash if the Ministry fired the Golden Boy), but was transferred to a DESK JOB." The last sentence was said with a pull of his lips and a sneer of disgust.

Draco's eyes displayed equal parts gratitude and sadness as he said, "But you all. You all stood up for us, defending us in public when we were swarmed by strangers, distracting the press when we needed to escape -- Tonks even set herself to taking all the curses off of our mail, which meant a lot even if she accidentally lit the living room on fire quite a few times."

The pink-haired witch spoke up, "I set it right after!" and titters could be heard from different points of the long table.

"We just want to give back to you somehow, for all the help and support and encouragement you've given us. So even if we had that bloody No Presents rule, we rescinded it to be able to give something to each of you."

With a nod to the house elves, the place-settings disappeared from in front of each of the guests, to be replaced with a white envelope bearing the name of the person it was intended for. A hum of excitement flowed through the room, but everyone somehow managed to keep their twitching fingers in their laps until Harry yelled, "Well?! Go on and open them!"

There was silence in the room for a second, but for the sound of ripping papers, and shreds of envelopes flurried around like a small snowstorm. It was only a moment before there was a chorus of cries and whoops of giddiness, and people were rushing from their seats to hug the two men who had offered up so much for the people they loved.

xoxoxoxo

Hermione's fingers trailed across the collection of leather-bound books that covered her wall. Harry and Draco's gift to her had been absolutely perfect. She didn't think she'd ever be able to get through all of the old tomes that told of all branches of magic, even if Severus had laughed at her statement and said she'd be through with them in no more than two years.

Her soft footsteps led her down the hall to Severus' lab, one that had been filled with top-of-the-line brewing equipment. Harry and Draco's gift had allowed Severus to finally retire from his lifetime career as Hogwarts' resident Potions Master, and he had started his own line of brews (rather ironically, one of his biggest customers was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes). The change in professions had made him much happier, and Hermione loved the benefits of his almost-constant good moods.

Today found him humming over a batch of Wit-Sharpening Potion, steam billowing up from the cauldron and interlacing with his black hair. Hermione swept over to him, pausing patiently at his side until he finished counting his stirred rotations. When he finished, he swept her up into a waltz-like twirl and then dipped her, his face hovering inches from hers and his black eyes piercing her own brown ones.

"Dearest wife of mine, love of my existence, light of my days! Although Draco and Potter's gift has allowed me freedom and money and prestige in our community, your affections will always be my favourite gift."

She giggled and rolled her eyes, responding, "Severus Snape, you have always been one for dramatics. Now either let me up or kiss me, you're getting too old for these theatrics."

"Too old, you say?" his eyes narrowed and he growled. "I'll show you to respect your elders!"

And he pressed a quick peck to the tip of her nose before throwing her over his shoulder and stomping from the room, the heavy door slamming behind him and muffling the shrieks of laughter coming from the sweet mouth of his favourite present.


End file.
